What do you personally believe in the looks of a spacers added to a stock M3 without it being dropped? Right now I'm in the current position of purchasing spacers, however I don't want to drop the car. Do think Spacers + stock ride height looks weird/bad?

Just purchased a new set of BBS CH-R 20" x9 +24 and 20X 10.5 +24 running on 255/30/20 and 285/30/20. The fit is good, but I feel like the front wheels need to come out a few mm, and maybe even the rears. I was running the stock OEM 19" on a 2010 coupe with 12 mm and 15mm, which seemed to have a better stance. Can I add a 3" spacer in the front and no spacer in the rear with out problems? One recommendation was a 3mm and 5mm spacer. But there was also mention of potential problems with the larger CH-R wheels. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

This is a thread that we've been thinking of for a long time. We also created a page on our website with the same information (more to come!). It consists of everything Turner Motorsport has learned about wheel spacers for BMWs. A lot of this info also applies to other makes as well. It's a very long and comprehensive collection of data, tips, and technical info and it's a bit Turner-centric but should prove useful to everyone. If you should have any further questions, please call or e-mail us.

Why Use Wheel Spacers?

Appearance. You want to push the wheels out for a better stance and more aggressive look. This is totally subjective to your personal tastes. And we can't tell you what to like...

Clearance. Many wheels are not compatible with big brake kits. The spoke of the wheel will scrape the new brake caliper and you need a wheel spacer to push the wheel spoke away from the caliper.

Correction. You may have bought a set of wheels that don't have the correct offset for your car. The offset may be too high, resulting in the wheels sitting too far inward. This is both ugly and incorrect as the tire can now rub on the inside wheel well, or on suspension components, etc. A wheel spacer will push the wheel out and 'correct' the offset.

Handling. By spacing the wheels further apart, you can make the car more stable and corner better. You can gain a similar effect as adding a wider wheel without the added weight and expense.

Once you know WHY you need spacers, you can figure out what size to use...

I just got some Vredestein tires in 255/35-19 and 275/35-19 to go with my stock M3 wheels (E90).

I want to get spacers, but my measurements seem wrong. I am measuring 14mm in the front and 17 in the rear. I used the tape and the ruler method and was only 1mm off between the two.

Does that souund right or am I doing this wrong?

I expected to need smaller spacers because each of my tires is 10mm wider than stock. But that doesn't explain why I might need larger spacers in the rear when it seems almost everyone else uses larger spacers in the front.

I just got some Vredestein tires in 255/35-19 and 275/35-19 to go with my stock M3 wheels (E90).

I want to get spacers, but my measurements seem wrong. I am measuring 14mm in the front and 17 in the rear. I used the tape and the ruler method and was only 1mm off between the two.

Does that souund right or am I doing this wrong?

I expected to need smaller spacers because each of my tires is 10mm wider than stock. But that doesn't explain why I might need larger spacers in the rear when it seems almost everyone else uses larger spacers in the front.

i'm will also be using the same tyres (in the future) 255/35-19 and 275/35-19 to go with my stock 19" 220 M3 alloys (E92). has anyone had experience with this set up using spacers? would like to know what sizes you guys are using front and rear.....

budge, did you find out what sizes you needed for yours? i think my e92 may be slightly different to your e90!

Just had Aleks @ Alekshop do my Ground Control Sleeve-Over on my E90 M3 on 19" 220's with stock PS2 rubber with Macht Schnell 15mm Front and 12mm Rear. No issues rubbing so far, and no fender roll required. Picked up the spacers from EAS.

There is nothing wrong with spacers, BUT, since I took mine off I am happier with the handling and feel. The geometry of the suspension is altered when you add spacers. The wheel is swinging, arching, 12mm, 10mm, or whatever you use, more than the car was designed for. No big deal but don't be surprised if every change you make calls for even more changes like camber plates, etc, to correct things. Better wheels and tires is the way to go, sans spacers.

I own a 2012 E92 M3 with the comp package. I just bought a set of OEM Style 270M wheels for the winter. Do I need spacers? I'm in love with the look and stance of the ZCP wheels and I want to maintain a similar stance with the 270M wheels.

I own a 2012 E92 M3 with the comp package. I just bought a set of OEM Style 270M wheels for the winter. Do I need spacers? I'm in love with the look and stance of the ZCP wheels and I want to maintain a similar stance with the 270M wheels.

The 10mm Spacer Dilemma
10mm wheel spacers are one of the most common spacer sizes out there. However, what a lot of people don't realize is that a 10mm size is not a true fitment on any BMW. It's considered a "tuner" fitment, meaning some extra thought is usually required to correctly install them. Only with the right combination of parts will a 10mm spacer fit without a vibration or other fitment issues.

Factory Hub Lips Are Greater Than 10mm
The depth of the lip on the car where the spacer will rest will vary. The available lip space may be 11mm and a 10mm spacer with its own hubcentric lip cannot physically fit. The spacer will bottom out on the lip instead of on the brake hat, leaving a gap between the spacer and the rotor hat. The biggest reason for this is the thickness of the rotor hat. The thickness varies by manufacturer and design. A thinner hat (such as used with aluminum Euro Floating rotors) will leave more lip protruding and make the problem worse. Most spacer manufacturers add an extra chamfer, or shoulder, to push the hubcentric lip further out. The extra chamfer clears any extra part of the stock lip. The other way to get the spacer to fit is to shave the stock lip with a metal file. While not the most elegant solution, it works.

Wheels With Incorrect Beveled Edge
Some wheels (Kosei in particular) have a beveled mounting surface that is at a different angle than on the spacer. Think of really precise puzzle pieces fitting together - if the pieces are not precisely machined to match, the parts don't fit together very well. The wheel will vibrate since enough of the wheel bore is not resting on the spacer lip.

Note that all of this only occurs when using a 10mm spacer with its own hubcentric lip. Any spacer over 10mm is not affected by this. The TMS 10mm spacers with Hub Extender is also exempt from this as the spacer has a flush outer face and will not interfere with the mounting surface of the wheel.

What's the solution? You could shave the stock lip on the car so its depth is under 10mm... Or you could just use a 12mm spacer and be done with it. The difference between a 10mm spacer and a 12mm spacer is the thickness of a nickel! The 2mm difference is smaller than the thickness of a CF memory card or your typical cardboard box. Trust us - 12mm is the way to go. The TMS Hub Extender/10mm Spacer set also works well and allows you to swap spacers in and out for different setups.

so is safe to use the 12MM spacers all around on a 09 ZCP oem wheels ??
thanks for the help